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Doprastav is a Slovak construction company that operates a large, imposing dormitory-style hotel designed to house workers on long-term projects and serve as the company's Centre for Administration of Recreational Facilities. Rooms not used for company purposes serve as a hotel.
We're well aware that Doprastav is not for everyone. It's austere, and its 30 room "sets" are divided into doubles, triples and quads. "Sets" share a bathroom and are connected by an entry space with a refrigerator. This configuration may prove to be claustrophobic for many. For small groups, this arrangement may be perfect; for those traveling in ones or twos, however, this is probably not an ideal set-up.
Then there are the rooms: utilitarian and formulaic, they really do feel like a dormitory. But this is the thing: we love this kind of design, from the basic and dependable furniture to the blockish socialist-modernist chairs placed on either side of a similarly socialist-modernist table, the towels, emblazoned with the Doprastav corporate insignia, and the tiny yellow no-nonsense bars of soap placed on the towels.
Unfortunately, Doprastav is located quite a distance from Bratislava's Staré Mesto, and as such is not the most convenient hotel in the city. Just a few minutes from Hotel Dukla, it's a good 20-minute walk from Bratislava's bus station. For those looking for a bargain or an opportunity to experience a pre-1989 aesthetic, however, Doprastav may just fit the bill.
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